Brazil's Supreme Court Suspends Sessions Amid Deepening Political and Corruption Crisis

Brazil’s Supreme Court has cancelled a second straight day of deliberations as suspicions of corruption, political bias, and police interference loom over several of its members. Such cancellations are exceptionally rare at the high court, but Chief Justice Luiz Edson Fachin nixed a consecutive session on Thursday, scheduling the court to reconvene on Tuesday instead.

The decision was spurred by an ongoing crisis among the court’s members. Divisions emerged on September 1 when Justice Andre Mendonca unsealed a series of federal police documents appearing to show disgraced banker Daniel Vorcaro seeking advice from Justice Alexandre de Moraes. De Moraes has risen to prominence for presiding over the trial of former President Jair Bolsonaro after prosecutors accused the far-right leader of plotting a coup following his 2022 election defeat. De Moraes also oversaw suspensions of platforms like X and Rumble for failing to abide by court orders, making him a prime target for Brazil’s right wing.

The document release authorized by Mendonca, a Bolsonaro appointee, contains roughly 30 text messages sent to a phone number associated with de Moraes, allegedly from Vorcaro. In response, de Moraes accused Mendonca of abusing his authority on the court for political gains and requested a probe into whether Mendonca interviewed Vorcaro without the presence of police or prosecutors.

Tuesday’s session will involve the full Supreme Court bench, where 10 of the justices will discuss whether the 11th member, de Moraes, should be investigated over the text messages. This high-stakes clash is the latest fallout from the Banco Master corruption scandal. Vorcaro, head of the Banco Master financial institution, was arrested in November 2025 on accusations that he defrauded investors of billions in lost funds during one of the biggest banking scandals in the country’s history. The collapse of Banco Master’s private banking arm left behind more than $7bn in debt.

Lawmakers from across the political spectrum have become embroiled in the unfolding scandal as new details emerge. The turmoil risks affecting October’s general elections, including a pivotal presidential contest where left-wing incumbent Lula Inacio Lula da Silva is set to compete against Jair Bolsonaro’s eldest son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro. Both Lula and Senator Bolsonaro have called for investigations into the Supreme Court justices.

The Bolsonaro family itself has been dragged into the Banco Master scandal. In May, a report by Intercept Brasil showed that Senator Bolsonaro petitioned Vorcaro for funds to finance a film about his ex-president father, who is now serving a 27-year prison sentence. Senator Bolsonaro has denied wrongdoing, claiming he did nothing more than seek private sponsorship for the film, entitled Dark Horse. However, Brazilian police executed dozens of raids related to the Banco Master scandal on Thursday, targeting two figures involved in the film: Karina Gama, the head of a production company, and Congressman Mario Frias, who served as executive producer. Senator Bolsonaro has called the probes attempted political interference ahead of the elections.